Lightning's Shadow
by Rigeekulous
Summary: DISCONTINUED! Everybody has their secrets, but this particular one could destroy the whole world. Why would anyone ban all his emotions and try to create a new, "perfect" world? Well... maybe he is afraid of his past... and wants to get rid of it.
1. Prologue

**Foreword:**

**Hello, readers! Here you have my first Pokémon story, which I have put a huge effort on (with the priceless aid of my beta, of course) to give you a work with a higher quality than the rest of my stories. I hope to update every two weeks, but I might not be completely consistent with that.**

**Please read, review and criticize. Anonymous reviews are welcome too. **

* * *

**Lightning's Shadow**

**Prologue:  
****Together we stand**

Three figures stood around a small bed, they were all looking down with grave looks on their faces, resembling statues, stiff and grey. Statues of ancient and wise men, both qualities they lacked.

The room was dimly lit by a small lamp on the bead's headboard which casted eerie shadows in the room. The curtains were shut and a damp silence invaded the room like a gloomy cape.

In the bed the unmistakable silhouette of a person could be seen lying there broken and weak, thin like a twig and pale like a ghost, although it was the only thing in the room that seemed to move, breathing slowly. Her long, pitch-black hair hanged limply on either sides of her head, and a rather long tuft slightly covered her eyes, casting a shadow over them. The bed had a tick bedspread that was blood-red in the outer part and black in the inner part.

The door of the small room opened slightly, making the three men in the room turn to see it almost simultaneously. They turned away shortly afterwards, ignoring the big cat-like creature that entered the room noiselessly. It sat next to the leftmost man, who stroked its head. The big cat purred, delighted.

After what seemed like ages, the woman held out a skeletal hand and beckoned with her finger to the man at her right. He obediently approached her, and his features were flooded with the yellowish light of the lamp. He was in his mid thirties, with neat black hair and greenish eyes which put a slight hint of pain and sorrow in an otherwise expressionless face.

The man took a step forward and bowed, so his face was at the same height of the woman's. She muttered something that he couldn't understand, and then, noticing this, she grabbed him by the collar with surprising strength and speed and held his ear closer to her mouth.

The woman muttered something again, and then let go of the man's collar. Her hand slowly fell to the bed, and did not rise again. The bedspread ceased moving.

*****

"This is it! I'm leaving!"

"You can't leave! Not now that we're so close!"

Two men appeared out of a sliding door of a small building. The words "Game Corner" shone above them in a cheery combination of red and yellow.

"You know I never liked this… and now Mother is dead, and it's your fault!" The younger of them said, pointing an accusing finger at his sibling, making him flinch slightly.

"Don't you dare to blame me! It was everyone's fault, not only mine." The accused brother retorted.

"Really? Well, I can't bear that guilt anymore, and I think you and your goons can fare pretty well on your own. You don't need me." The younger brother replied before turning away and leaving.


	2. One

**Lightning's Shadow**

**I**

**Ironies Galore**

A dark silhouette walked down a grassy path, surrounded by thick trees. The night had already taken over, casting its bluish-black glow onto the land, engulfing the light. The chirps and squeaks of several kinds of Pokémon could be heard as they scurried to their nests for shelter.

The figure continued walking, slowly and silently. Not too far ahead the lights of a small city, or maybe a big town, could be seen breaking into the night, the roar of the sea waves and the cries of an upcoming thunderstorm added to the dark atmosphere of the night.

At a closer look, the figure was that of a boy, walking sleepily. He was tall and had long, dark brown hair that could have passed as black. His features sported a noticeable tiredness: his black eyes hung half open, blinking with difficulty, and his movements were slow. He had been traveling the whole day, hoping to reach his destination before nightfall. Apparently, he didn't manage to.

After a few more minutes of walking, the boy arrived to the entrance of the city. He looked up to a huge wooden sign that read "Welcome to Petalburg City, where people mingle with nature" in green letters. The boy glanced at it, relief showing in his eyes. He stepped beyond the sign into a dirt path that led to a perpendicular narrow street illuminated by the yellowish gleam of the street lamps. Across the street was a small park with a rather deep pond and some wooden benches around it. The boy headed towards one of them and sat there, where the light of a nearby lamp illuminated his features. He wore a black T-Shirt with a design composed of curls and irregular shapes made of white lines, a pair of really worn jeans with a belt holding some shiny red and white spheres the size of golf balls, and white running shoes with black stripes, also very worn.

The boy closed his eyes and seemed to drift into sleep, but he was only dozing off, thinking about life and past sorrows, and listening to the quiet hoots of a Pokémon in a nearby tree. It took him a good time before falling asleep completely, ignoring the uncomfortable seat and the upcoming storm.

*****

A couple of hours later, he was awakened by a deafening thunder not too far away, followed by a spray of cold drops of water, maybe from the lake, maybe from the clouds. He didn't know.

Still struggling with sleep, he looked at the fluorescent digits of his wristwatch. 1:17, it read. Just then, a cold drizzle started falling from the black sky, followed by a lightning that flooded the ground with its blue light. Just as he woke up, he realized how uncomfortable the bench where he was sitting was, so he stood up and stretched his limbs, closing his eyes again, still sleepy.

When he opened his eyes again, something on the other side of the pond picked his attention. The pond was made to look like a real lake, shallow near the sides and growing deeper until it reached its maximum depth at the center.

But what caught the boy's attention was a figure sitting on the grass, near the water's edge, just in front of him where the yellow light of the lamps couldn't reach it at all. The rain and the sleepiness made the silhouette blurry, but he could tell it was a girl, sitting on the grass. Who was she? Could it be her? It had almost been three years since he saw her for the last time. It couldn't be… And yet, he found himself starting to walk round the pond, to get a closer look.

As he got closer, he grew more nervous and excited. A lightning illuminated her features for a brief moment. He could see her light brown hair, resting on her shoulders topped by a thin, pink bow. It was her.

He was wondering what to do now. Should he just approach her just like this and say hi?

Another lightning struck somewhere far away; the rain was getting heavier now, but it still wasn't more than a sprinkle. The girl looked towards the place where the lightning struck, turning his head away from him. She was wearing a gray sweater with a hood, jeans with a black belt similar to the one he was wearing, just without the red and white spheres.

_C'mon! Just say Hi, __Aileen! _The boy thought, fighting with himself.

"Umm… Hi?"

Apparently, she didn't hear him. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Hi!"

The girl was startled by the came-out-of-nowhere voice and stood up with a spring, tripping over a stone in the process and falling into the nearby pond just as another lightning struck.

"Danny? Is that you?" Aileen said excitedly, as Danny walked up to her and helped her up.

"Yes! Umm… Sorry for that… Are you ok?" Danny said.

"Yeah, it's nothing… It's raining anyway."

There was moment of silence, broken only by the occasional thunderclap. Aileen walked towards a nearby bench, and motioned Danny to follow her.

"Wow! It sure has been a lot since we met for the last time, what have you been up to lately?" She asked as she sat on the bench.

"Well, I have been travelling for a long time now so I decided to come back home… And you?"

"Well, I just arrived from Ever Grande City yesterday…" She sounded as she was going to tell something else, but she didn't.

The sky was black as lead now, and lightning rained. A thunderstorm was quickly approaching.

"Would you like to go inside somewhere?" Danny asked, looking at the sky.

"I'm fine here… Would you?"

"I'm fine too…"

Danny looked her in the eyes, those, beautiful, hazel-colored eyes… They seemed to glitter under the yellow light of the nearby lamps. In that moment, he couldn't think of anything else, he was trapped by those shiny gemstones that looked at him with joy… And then, she looked away, blushing slightly.

They both stared thoughtfully into the pond which was being pelted with raindrops, producing small circles on its surface.

"How long has it been?" She asked.

"I don't know… Two years, maybe three…"

Another thoughtful silence. Danny reached into the depths of his memory, recalling the events of his youth. Apparently, Aileen was doing the same.

"You know… It was great when we travelled together… Why did we have to part ways?" She said with a hint of nostalgia in her voice.

"I don't know… I miss those times too, Aileen…"

"Yeah… Hey, I heard that a tournament will be held soon in the Sinnoh Region…" Aileen said excitedly. "I'm going to participate… would you come with me?"

Danny felt a tickle run through his body. Was she actually asking him to travel with her?

"Well… I… I…"

_C'mon, you know you want to… just say yes! _Danny was fighting with his thoughts. One side of him wanted to say yes, desperately. But he had just come back from a one-year long trip; it was too soon to depart again. But, how could he say no to those eyes…

"Of course I'll go with you." Danny finally said.

"That's great! Hey, would you like to have a battle tomorrow? You know, for the old times." She smiled.

"That would be great!" Danny said.

"Alright! Are you going to stay with your parents tonight?"

Danny hadn't thought about it yet. It was late in the night, and he wouldn't like to disturb his parents' sleep.

"I don't think so; I think I'll sleep at the Pokémon center tonight and visit them tomorrow." He said, suddenly noting how tired he was.

Aileen said nothing. She was staring thoughtfully at the floor, her gaze was lost deep within her mind.

"What happened at Ever Grande?" Danny asked.

Aileen snapped out of her trance just to fix her gaze into the stars above, Danny thought for a moment that she wouldn't answer, but after a brief silence, she said:

"I was there to challenge the Elite Four." Her tone was sad and disappointed.

"And what happened?" Danny asked, although he thought he knew the answer.

"Well… Do you promise you won't tell anybody?" She said, looking him in the eyes.

"Of course, you can trust me." Danny said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She smiled.

"I lost to the first member of the elite."

The image of Sidney and his team of dark-type Pokémon sprung instantly into Danny's head. He had been a challenge, but Danny managed to beat him after some effort.

"Well, you're not that bad, considering I lost to the third… and rather pathetically I should say." He said, remembering how easily Glacia had destroyed his team.

Aileen giggled, slightly cheering up her mood.

"Well, I hope I'll do better in Sinnoh…"

"Of course you will, and then we will come back and we will destroy the Elite Four. How does that sound?

Aileen smiled with that cute smile of hers. Danny smiled too.

"It sounds great!"

The rain grew heavier as a few lighting-bolts crossed the skies. Aileen stood up, and Danny did the same. They exchanged glances, and Danny found himself lost in those beautiful eyes again.

"I think I should be heading back to my home before my parents find out I'm not there." Aileen said, breaking the eye contact.

"Yeah, I should get going too." Danny said, coming back to reality.

"See you later!"

"Right here in this same spot?" Danny asked.

"Err… no, I think I'll se you tomorrow at the Pokémon center about nine a.m. How does that sound?" Aileen said.

"It's okay for me."

"See you later then!"

"Bye."

They parted ways. Danny headed for the Pokémon center, which was halfway between Petalburg's entrances, not too far from there. Aileen walked towards her house. Danny didn't know where it was, but it seemed to be north from the park.

As Danny walked towards the Pokémon center, he was thinking of how lucky he was for having met her again after so much time.

_Do you like her? _Danny's inner voice asked.

_Of course I like her! _The recent image of her face sprung into Danny's mind, and he let himself go again into those eyes full of emotion and that smile… Maybe it was more than simple infatuation what he felt towards her… maybe it was true love.

_I guess only time will tell._

A thunder tore through the silent air of the night, and the quiet drizzle that fell from the sky turned heavier. Danny thought that it was a very ironic night for what had just happened to him, really ironic. But after all, this was a crazy world, wasn't it?

*****

Danny woke up the next morning with the dull glow of the dawning sun. He opened his eyes, but was forced to close them again, still sleepy.

_C'mon, if you don't get up now, you won't get up at all…_

His conscience was right. He sat at the bed a bit reluctantly and looked at his watch that rested on the night table. 9:20…

Danny stared at the watch for a brief moment and then realized something that made him stand up with a spring and rush towards the shower.

He had the quickest shower of his life, not even stopping to wait for the water to warm up. He dressed just as quickly, brushed his teeth lightning-fast, made the bed where he had slept, picked all of his stuff and ran as fast as if he was being chased by a pack of hungry Mightyenas.

He arrived at the Pokémon center's lobby about fifteen minutes after he had seen the watch for the last time. He looked around desperately, but the place was almost empty. He came out from a stairway that led towards the trainer's rooms. The sliding door of the center was in front of him, and on the far right was the reception counter where Nurse Joy was busy reading a magazine. There were a few comfortable-looking pink and red sofas right in front of him.

_Damn! She must have left already! _Danny slapped himself mentally, he felt as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice-cold water on his head.

_Okay… Let's not draw conclusions yet. Let's ask Nurse Joy if she saw her around here._

He walked towards the reception counter. The pink-haired lady that sat behind it noticed him right away and greeted him. He greeted back and asked her if someone had came looking for him.

"Hmm… No, nobody has set foot here since yesterday." She answered. Danny felt the heat returning to his self and let out a relieved sigh.

"Phew! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, oh, by the way, your Pokémon are completely healed and ready for another battle." The nurse took a small plastic tray with six small spheres, red on the top, white on the bottom and with a black line dividing both halves.

"Oh, yeah, of course." Danny said quickly placing the Poké Balls in their respective places on his belt where they adhered magnetically to it.

Just then, the sliding door opened with a faint hiss and a girl stepped inside. Danny turned his head towards the entrance and smiled when he saw Aileen's worried expression. She started looking everywhere in the lobby, failing to notice him.

"Looking for someone?" Danny asked with a deeper-than-normal voice.

"Umm, yeah. Have you seen…? Oh" Aileen smiled, and walked towards Danny.

"Thank you again, Joy." Danny said, and walked towards her too.

"You're welcome." The nurse said, and got back to her magazine.

Danny and Aileen met in the middle of the room and then walked outside the center.

"So, we had something to do today, right?" Aileen asked once they were outside.

"The challenger picks the location." Danny said.

"Is that a rule?" Aileen asked, skeptical.

"No… but just do it." He answered, grinning.

Aileen took a moment to think and then said:

"Hmm… well, we could ask the gym leader to lend us an arena…"

"Is that possible?"

Aileen shrugged. "I don't know, but it wouldn't hurt to try."

"Very well."

They headed towards the Petalburg gym, which was not too far away from the Pokémon Center. Upon arrival, Danny saw a small group of people gathering near the entrance of the gym; they were chatting quite lively. When the pair came closer, he noticed there was a person in the middle of the group, and, much to his dismay, he recognized that person immediately.

_Damn! Everybody decided to return home today, or what?_ Danny thought. His mind was racing; he had to do something to avoid being seen by that individual.

Brendan Birch was the person standing in the middle of the group. The memories of school days sprang right into Danny's mind; that guy had been in every class with him, and they were always competing for the first place. Brendan always won, usually in a humiliating way having to do with Danny's own idiotic mistakes. But the main factor that triggered Danny's jealousy was that Brendan had got a Pokédex. Professor Birch had chosen **him **to aid him with his research. And that, of course, had nothing to do with the fact that he was the son of Norman, the Petalburg Gym Leader.

"Brendan!"

Aileen ran excitedly towards the boy and hugged him. She always had looked up to that spoiled brat as if he was some kind of super hero. He wore a black and red jacket with matching pants and fingerless gloves, black, red and green sneakers and some sort of hat that resembled white hair; he also carried a green backpack. He had piercing-green eyes and was just slightly shorter than Danny.

_Hey! She didn't hug me when we met yesterday! _Danny was boiling in his inside.

_Well, he didn't throw her into the pond…_His other voice said.

As much as he hated to admit it, his rational side was right… making your crush jump into a pond was not a very good way of restarting a relationship…

"Daniel! Hi!"

"Huh?" Being confronted with his actual name made Danny come back to the real world, and realize everybody was staring at him expectantly.

"What? What did you say?" He asked, confused.

"I asked if it was you, and then said hi." Brendan answered.

"Oh, yeah… it's me. And you are Brendan or his evil doppelganger?" Danny said. This prompted a quiet chuckle among the small crowd gathering there. Danny noticed them and took a quick glance at them, but he didn't recognize anyone. There were three girls and a boy about the same age as them, around 13 years old. After having registered them mentally, he turned away from them, uninterested. Maybe he had seen them somewhere else, but they had just skipped his mind… just like now.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Brendan asked ignoring Danny's question, as Aileen let go of him.

"Well, we've just returned from our trips and we were going to have a battle." Danny answered.

"Oh, a battle?" Brendan raised an eyebrow; Aileen nodded. "Well, can we watch it?"

"Yeah, why not?" Aileen said, before Danny could politely deny the offer.

Danny, Aileen and their retinue entered the gym. The main hall was styled like a traditional martial-arts dojo, with wooden floor, and white walls with a papyrus with some kanji written on it hanging on the center wall. It was empty. There were two doors on that same wall, one in the far left and one in the far right, Aileen walked towards the right one which had a small sign on it reading "Accuracy Room". She opened it and entered the room and Danny followed her.

"Greetings, challengers!" A voice boomed from somewhere inside the room they just entered. It was decorated the same as the main hall, but it was bigger and had an arena painted in the center, the lights were off, so half the room was in complete darkness.

"We are not challengers; we come to see the gym leader." Danny said.

"Really?" The voice said again, this time in a disappointed tone.

A young woman appeared from the shadows of the far half of the room, she wore a red sweater with a white stripe running from the neck to the waist, and green shorts. Her hair was dyed a slight shade of green and she had really expressive black eyes.

"I was expecting to have some action today," She said, striking a cocky pose, placing her hand on her hip.

The phrase was followed by an awkward silence. Danny was struggling to contain his laughter. It took the girl a moment to realize why everyone was so quiet.

"Hey, I didn't mean **that** kind of action!" She exclaimed, blushing tomato-red and then blurted out something about the gym leader before running away into the darkness of the room. Danny and Aileen were left alone in the reverberating silence of the arena. The atmosphere turned awkward and thick despite the hugeness of the place.

"Umm… I guess I should tell the others to come." Aileen said, Danny answered with a meek "Yeah" and she walked out of the room.

"Why? Why? What's happening with me?" Danny was thinking aloud. "Whenever I think I can finally get 'further', something goes wrong…"

Suddenly, the lights of the arena flickered and then flooded the room with their bright, white light, blinding Danny momentarily. He shielded his eyes with his right hand and managed to spot the trainer that had welcomed them standing on the other side of the room, which was about half the size of a soccer field; the Petalburg gym was immense.

Standing next to the trainer, was a man that Danny recognized as the gym leader… or Brendan's father. He had just seen him only once before that time, when he battled him about three years ago, on his first Pokémon quest, but that battle would remain locked onto his Danny's mind for about the rest of his trips through the Hoenn region because it had been one, if not the hardest gym battle he had ever had. Oh yeah, Brendan was his father's son.

"You can use this arena, and since today's a slow day, I was wondering if there would be any problem if I and my trainees watched your battle." Norman said walking towards the stands followed by a group of seven other trainers, all dressed in similar fashion.

"Well… I guess it's all right." Danny said, suddenly regretting not picking himself the location. He would have picked something less crowded.

"Have you been here before?" Norman asked, before taking a seat in the front row.

"Well… yeah, I was here some years ago." Danny answered, looking away from the leader.

"Hmm… so you are experienced trainers." Norman said, scratching his chin.

"Yeah, you could say so."

Just then Aileen and company entered the room. She seemed not to notice the small audience that was sitting on the stands.

"Sorry for the delay; I pick the other side," she said, before she rushed towards the opposite side of the arena. Danny was starting to get nervous.

_Calm down! This is not an official battle; the only thing that could happen if you lose is getting everybody to laugh at you… Okay, let's only hope she has no ice types on her team…_

Meanwhile, Norman was giving his pupils a small class on how watching others' battles would help them become better trainers and advised them to watch closely the match that, according to his words, promised to be an interesting one.

Aileen took her place on the arena and stood in a ready stance. Norman told one of his students to be the referee of the battle; the girl who met them first stood up and placed herself on the right side of the battleground, with her back turned to the stands.

"This will be a six-on-six battle without any time limit; the contenders can switch Pokémon at any time during the battle, the first trainer to knock out all of his or her opponent's Pokémon wins the match. Are the rules clear?" The girl said, her voice echoed on the hollowness of the room. Danny and Aileen nodded.

_What should I send out first? Altaria would be a good choice, but I'd rather keep her until later. Ludicolo has the least weaknesses and can endure hits very well. Yes, I'll use Ludicolo first._

"Let the battle begin!" The referee shouted. Upon this sign Danny reached for his belt and plucked one of the Poké balls attached to it. He pressed the center button and the ball expanded to the size of a baseball, then he tossed it with a swing of his arm, shouting "Go, Ludicolo!".

The ball popped open and released a beam of red light that took the shape of a creature that resembled a pineapple with a green sombrero as a stem; she had large mitten-like hands and short round legs. His fruit-like body was covered in thick, yellow fur with brown, zigzagging stripes running around it. Upon being released, the Pokémon started dancing and singing happily.

On the other side of the arena, Aileen had already sent out her Pokémon too. A red, shaggy Pokémon stood on her side of the arena; it resembled a camel, with volcano-shaped humps and three blue rings on each side of its body. The Camerupt yawned upon the sight of its dancing opponent and then stood motionless on its side of the arena.

_Oh! A Camerupt! This should be really easy…_

"Ludicolo, finish that fur-ball right away with a Surf!" Danny shouted. Camerupt was a Fire-Ground dual type; it stood no chance against Ludicolo's water-typed attacks.

The Carefree Pokémon stopped her dance and struck a karate-like pose, with both arms and one leg raised, her eyes started glowing blue as she prepared to cast a mighty wave of water against her defenseless rival. Then, the Pokémon thrust her arms forward with a war cry… but nothing happened.

"Colo?" The pineapple-like Pokémon asked confused, looking at her hands.

_What? Oh damn! There's no water in this arena for Ludicolo to use!_

Camerupt, use a Rock Slide!" Aileen shouted, the Eruption Pokémon stood on its hind legs for a moment and then came down crashing onto the floor, making the whole building tremble.

"Ludicolo, sidestep!" Danny shouted, but his Pokémon was still puzzled about her attack not working, and didn't have time to react as a rain of fist-sized rocks bombarded her.

"Now Camerupt, use Flamethrower!" Aileen ordered her Pokémon.

"Ludicolo, use Waterfall!"

Ludicolo rushed forwards, covered in a watery mantle as Camerupt inhaled and then spat a jet of crimson flames towards its opponent. The Flamethrower hit Ludicolo headfirst, but it did little harm to the Pokémon as she continued charging towards the camel.

With a cry, Ludicolo delivered an uppercut with a fist covered in a veil of water to the camel's side, causing it to cry in pain as the water splashed its body sending it flying a couple of meters with the force of the impact.

"No, Camerupt!" Aileen shouted, the camel Pokémon tried to get up again, but the super-effective hit turned out to be too much for it as it stumbled and fell to the floor, fainted.

"Camerupt is not able to fight anymore, the victory is for Ludicolo!" The referee said, raising her left hand. The Pokémon struck a victory pose with a happy "Colo!".

Aileen took Camerupt's Poké ball from her belt and pointed it towards the defeated Pokémon, engulfing it in a beam of red light that disappeared into the ball with a low "ping".

"You did well, dear." Aileen whispered to the Pokémon before putting the ball back into her belt. Her hand hovered over her Poké balls for a moment before taking one in her hand and expanding it to full size.

"Go, Swellow!" She said, throwing the Poké ball upwards. It opened in midair, releasing a blue bird Pokémon with red feathers on its chest and face and white ones on its belly; it had a long V-shaped tail with red feathers on the tips and red feet armed with razor-sharp talons. The Swellow did a couple of loops in the air, enjoying the freedom, before facing its opponent with a hint of vanity.

_Damn! This will be hard! _Flying-types were Danny's team second biggest flaw. _Should I switch, or remain like this?_

"Swellow, use Aerial Ace!" Aileen said, her Pokémon obeyed instantly, rushing forward at lightning speed, and ramming its sharp beak onto Ludicolo's belly, prompting a painful cry from the pineapple-like creature.

_Okay, she can't do this. _"Ludicolo, come back!" Danny shouted, pointing the Poké ball at his hurt mate, dissolving her in a flash of red light.

"Go, Altaria!" He then said, tossing his Poké ball high in the air. Out of it materialized a bird-like Pokémon with wings that resembled clouds. Her body was light blue and she had two long feathers on the head. The dragon let out a melodic cry that sounded like a relieved sigh and landed, folding its cloud-like wings around its body.

"Swellow, use another Aerial Ace!" Aileen said. Her Pokémon prepared for another unavoidable attack.

"Altaria, fly up and use Dragon Dance!" Danny said. Altaria flapped her wings and soared a little above the charging Swellow, it then started doing intricate maneuvers in the air, making Swellow chase after it before managing to deliver the blow.

Altaria endured the hit, flapping her wings to keep balance in mid air. Swellow, being a lot faster was already preparing its next move, a Steel Wing.

Danny ordered his Pokémon to use Dragon Breath, Swellow was approaching at high speed, its metal coated wings reflecting the white lights of the lamps. Altaria inhaled deeply and then released a stream of silvery flames from her beak that engulfed the swallow Pokémon, making it scream in agony and sending it crashing to the floor.

"Swellow, come back!" Aileen shouted, recalling her hurt Pokémon before it touched the ground.

_Wow, this is proving to be easier than I thought…_

"Walrein, I choose you!"

_Dam you, Murphy…_

The huge walrus Pokémon materialized on the field, letting out a mighty roar. Its body was blue and it had two white rings around its neck; it had two yellowish tusks growing on its upper lip and a white, mane-like clump of hair behind its head.

"Altaria, use Flamethrower!" Danny said. The cloudy Pokémon spewed a burst of orange flames from her beak, emitting a soprano note while doing so. The flames reached the walrus, which remained unscathed.

Danny was puzzled… even if it wasn't super-effective, the Flamethrower should have at least made the Ice-Water dual type move an inch…

"Walrein, use Ice Beam!" Walrein opened its mouth and fired a thin white beam. Altaria, fearing the cold, tried to evade the attack by flying higher, but she was too slow and the beam hit her in the underbelly, covering her wings with a thin layer of frost.

"No!" Danny watched helplessly as his strongest Pokémon fell to the floor like a leaf, fainted.

"Altaria is unable to battle, Walrein wins!"

"Altaria, good job. Come back." Danny said as he recalled his Pokémon. _Why didn't I switch out!_

Suddenly Danny remembered someone was watching their battle and turned briefly to see what was happening on the stands. He saw Norman whispering something to one of his pupils and pointing towards Walrein; Brendan and his crew were cheering for Aileen, shouting her name and her Pokémon's. Danny suddenly felt nervous… and somewhat alone.

"Trainer, please send out your next Pokémon." The referee said. Danny remembered he was still in a battle and babbled a quick apology to nobody in particular.

"Err… Medicham, do your charm!" Danny said, tossing his only different Poké ball, an Ultra Ball, into the field. The black and yellow device burst open in a flash of white sparks and released a humanoid Pokémon; she had a grey body, and seemed to wear red pants with yellow spots by the knees. She also bore a red headpiece with three antennae-like structures and three yellow dots in the center.

"Medicham, start off with Hi Jump Kick!" Danny said. His Pokémon took a spring that made her soar near the roof of the arena. Aileen flinched for a brief moment.

"Walrein! Quick, use Ice Ball!" The Pokémon opened its mouth, and a small ball of ice started forming inside it. Meanwhile, Medicham started to make its way down, ready to kick Walrein with its right knee. Then, there was a moment where time seemed to stop, where nobody seemed to move, where Danny's eyes met Aileen's, getting lost again into those shiny gemstones… they weren't burning with passion for the game, they didn't even show any worry about losing or excitement about winning… no. They were simple and shiny… she was simply having fun.

_Hey… you're losing a battle over there…_ Danny snapped out of his trance just to see the Ice Ball, bigger this time, slam into Medicham and send her flying a couple of meters. The Pokémon landed with a thud and emitted a low, painful groan.

"Medicham! Are you OK?" Danny asked, seeing his Pokémon was having troubles to stand up. She answered with a nod and a steady "Cham!" The two of them flinched for a moment when an Ice Ball the size of a basketball crashed by the feet of Medicham, missing the Pokémon just barely. On the other side of the arena Danny could hear Aileen saying something which he didn't quite get.

"Medicham, use Thunderpunch!"

The Pokémon's right fist became surrounded in a sparkly yellow light. Danny looked back at where Walrein should be, but the walrus was nowhere to be seen. Medicham looked up, where her opponent was already falling on top of her in a powerful display of the move Body Slam.

"Medicham…!" Danny began saying, but was cut short by the huge walrus landing on his defenseless Pokémon which was crushed below the enormous weigh of the Water-type Pokémon.

The crushing didn't last long, though, as Walrein quickly moved from the spot where Medicham's Thunderpunch managed to still affect it. The Meditate Pokémon stood up with extreme difficulty and faced her opponent with determination.

Danny thought fast. What could he do now? Medicham was weak and wouldn't resist another hit. He then remembered a move Medicham had learned recently and that could make him turn the tables on the match.

"Medicham, hang on! Use Reversal!" Danny said, by now, the power of Reversal should be more than enough to finish Walrein off.

Medicham rushed forwards, her fists were glowing with a bluish-white light. Walrein was already preparing for an Ice Beam. Danny clenched his fists.

Walrein was a slow Pokémon, and thus, Medicham managed to get into hit distance before it finished charging the Ice Beam. With a cry, Medicham delivered a punch that made the whole room vibrate with energy; the Ice Beam was consumed inside the walrus's mouth as it was flung to the other side of the room as if were as light as a plush doll. It crashed against the wall of the arena and then fell down with a grunt.

"Walrein!" Aileen ran towards her injured Pokémon and kneeled next to it. Danny felt a strange combination of guilt and pride.

_Man, you nearly killed her Pokémon…How can you feel proud of yourself?_

Danny flinched at this thought. He reached for Medicham's Poké ball, but remembered he was still in a battle, so he just ran towards where Aileen was kneeling besides her Pokémon. A grief silence had overcome the cheers and laughs that once filled the room.

"Aileen… I…" Danny started saying, but he was silenced by Aileen suddenly standing up and facing him, her eyes were full of tears. She looked like she was about to say something, or maybe do something, but she just reached for Walrein's Poké ball and recalled it silently before rushing out of the arena.

Silence took over again. Danny didn't want to look up to the stands, where he was sure everybody would be looking at him, so he just left, fighting the urge to run away. He returned Medicham to her Poké ball and simply exited through the same door as Aileen, never turning to face the people that sat looking at him. He had been wrong, there was something worse than losing and being humiliated; it was winning and humiliating oneself.

*****

That was a nice spot, somewhere to hide from the rest of the world, to think and be in peace and harmony with oneself, surrounded by nature. That place was a small clearing right in the middle of Petalburg woods, carpeted by soft grass reaching up to the knee, flanked by dense foliage and with a rock right in the middle, the perfect place to sit and listen to the soothing atmosphere of the forest.

Today, the place was occupied by someone, or rather by seven someones. Six of them were Pokémon; a Ludicolo, a Medicham, an Altaria, a Sceptile, a Golem and a Tropius, lying or standing near the rock where a human sat. All of them bore grave faces, contrasting with the cheerful chirps and squeaks of the woodland. Nobody moved. They just stared into the nothingness of space, like waiting. But waiting for what? Waiting for answers, maybe? Answers that the forest bore? Answers that the wind carried? Answers never asked for? Maybe those were better left alone.

* * *

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	3. Two

**Lightning's Shadow**

**II**

**Let It Be**

It had happened again. The same mistake that had cost her the Hall of Fame had poked its ugly head one more time. But she couldn't help it, even as she sat there in the really comfortable couch of the Center, she couldn't help but look nervously from time to time towards the pink-haired lady sitting behind the counter, feeling a sudden itch to cry out of pure anxiety and fear.

"Aileen, are you ok?" Aileen snapped out of her trance, she looked up to the person who stood looking worriedly at her from above.

"Yeah, I'm all right. Don't worry." She answered.

"But I do worry." Brendan said, his green eyes showing it. He sat besides her on the couch. "My dad is worried too. Why did you run away like that?"

"Well… I just… kind of… freaked out." Aileen said, sinking into the couch.

An awkward silence fell upon the two friends. Brendan opened his mouth to say something, but apparently thought better and remained silent. Aileen's mind was working like in slow motion, nothing seemed to make sense. Did Brendan think she was a coward? Well, that wouldn't be a lie after all.

*****

Danny still could feel the cold gazes of the spectators of the match, even though at least half an hour had passed since the incident. Now he sat there, in company of his party, but feeling lonely despite this. He had told his Pokémon what had happened in the battle, comforted Medicham, who felt guilty for her trainer's grief and then sat in silence as his Pokémon stared at him, not really understanding the why of his damp mood. Danny simply ignored them.

_What shall I do? Well… It's obvious right? Just go to the Pokémon Center and apologize. Yeah, I should do that._

"Okay guys listen," Danny said to his Pokémon. "I'm going to talk to Aileen; do you want to come with me?"

The group looked at Danny's Altaria, whom they usually saw as their leader when Danny couldn't or didn't want to make a decision himself. The Pokémon simply shrugged and took a step backwards. The rest looked at each other before baking away too, except Medicham, who stayed where she was and then nodded.

"Fine then." Danny wasn't counting with their company anyway. He recalled all of them, except Medicham, and walked back into the city without any hurry. It took him about fifteen minutes to reach Petalburg and ten more minutes to reach the Pokémon Center.

_Let's just hope she's still there…_

The double doors hissed open and Danny's heart jumped. Aileen was nowhere to be seen, but Brendan was there, sitting on the pink couch with a blank stare on his eyes. Danny ignored his presence and walked straight to the counter. Medicham also noticed Aileen wasn't present, and hesitated before deciding to follow Danny.

"Excuse me." Danny addressed Nurse Joy.

"Hi! Good evening!" She said with her usual joyful tone. Danny reached for his belt and handed her his Poké balls. Joy gestured towards Medicham, but Danny shook his head and the nurse proceeded to put the Poké balls in the machine. Then, Danny said:

"Err… have you seen…" But Joy interrupted him.

"You are looking for Aileen, right?" she asked. This took Danny by surprise, but he quickly nodded.

"She left." The nurse said while she pressed some buttons in the healing machine.

"What? When? Why?" _Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it._

"About fifteen minutes ago, she said that if 'someone' came looking for her I would give him this." She said, taking a small folded paper from her apron's pocket and handing it to Danny. He took it with a trembling hand and put it inside his jacket's pocket.

"Her Walrein is alright?" Danny asked, trying pathetically to mask his shaky voice.

The nurse remained silent for a moment, pretending to look at the status of the Pokémon in the machine. Danny felt a shiver run down through his body. Joy let out a sigh and looked him directly in the eyes. Danny swallowed.

"No, she isn't. Were you present at the moment of the incident?"

"I was her opponent in the battle." Danny said, nodding. He instantly regretted having said the truth.

Joy took a deep breath and then sighed. She took the Pokémon out of the machine and placed them on the counter before facing Danny again.

"Well, you can't be blamed for the strength of your Pokémon," she looked at Medicham before going on "you shouldn't be too worried." It seemed as though as she didn't mean to comfort Danny at all.

"Maybe, but I am. What happened to her Pokémon?" Danny asked. Behind him, Brendan was looking intensely at him.

"I guess you deserve the right to know." The nurse said with a sigh. "She had to be sent to a bigger Pokémon center for intensive care."

"It was that bad?"

"The Walrein had several of her ribs broken and some internal bleeding." Her deep blue eyes reflected a hint of worry and perhaps some guilt too. "She will survive, but she won't be able to take part in battles again."

_Ouch… _Now Danny felt like he wanted to run away, to hide, to never be seen again. He would have killed for the earth to swallow him whole right there. Where could have Walrein been taken? Goldenrod's Pokémon center was the biggest he could think of, maybe she had been taken there.

"To which center was she sent?" Danny asked. He had to catch up with Aileen; he had to say sorry, he had to do something to feel better with himself.

"I can't tell you. That's confidential information."

"Oh, come on! Please, I need to know!" Danny was desperate. Joy looked at him with eyes full of some indescribable emotion.

"Saffron." She simply said, and turned to attend a young trainer that had just arrived.

_Saffron City? _Danny thought. _Why Saffron and not Goldenrod? Well, it doesn't matter; the point is I need to catch up with her before she leaves. _

Danny picked up his Poké balls and then ran away from the center, almost forgetting Medicham was following him. He stopped to recall her into her Poké ball when he saw she looked really depressed. Danny comforted her, saying it was not her fault that Aileen's Walrein had got hurt and that he wasn't mad with her. The Pokémon smiled and nodded. Danny put her back into the Ultra-ball and took another one. He opened it to reveal a Tropius, a green dinosaur-like Pokémon with a long neck and four huge leaves growing out of its back. Danny mounted onto her back, pretending to make her fly them to Lilycove City, when he remembered there was a shipyard in Slateport City too. He cursed and started thinking.

_Damn! Where did she go!? …………… Hey! The letter! Maybe it says something about it!_

Danny took the small paper out of his pocket and started unfolding it, but something made him stop in his tracks.

"Hey, Daniel!" A voice called from behind him. He turned to see Brendan walking up towards him.

"What is it? I'm in kind of a hurry right now." Danny said, hiding the letter in his hand.

"Well, I just wanted to wish you good luck with Aileen. She was pretty upset when she left." Brendan said.

"Well, thank you." Danny didn't expect this. Brendan wasn't the kind of person to wish good luck to everybody, or at least he thought so. "You don't happen to know where she was headed. Do you?"

"She didn't tell me, sorry."

"Never mind." Danny said. Now he had to test his luck, which usually wasn't that good. "Well, see you then."

"Yeah, see you."

"Tropius, fly me out of here, to Lilycove City please." Danny said, turning to his Pokémon. She nodded and flapped the leaves at her back, which served as wings, with such force that it took her only two flaps to raise about ten feet from the ground. Lilycove had the biggest seaport of Hoenn and it was in a better position for ships to leave for the Kanto and Johto regions. If Aileen had to take a ship to Kanto, she most likely would have gone there.

Ships from Hoenn to Kanto were not very common since trade between both regions was scarce. Ships departed within weeks of each other, sometimes even months. If Danny was unlucky enough to miss the ship, he would most likely never see Aileen again. But he forced himself to take those thoughts out of his mind, after all, which was the probability that the only ship from Hoenn to Kanto would leave today?

It took Tropius and Danny about an hour to reach Lilycove since they had to stop and rest in Mauville City. When they finally arrived, Danny felt a sting of guilt when he remembered he was going to visit his parents, but he didn't. He decided he'd go see them after he had seen Aileen.

As soon as Tropius landed, Danny started running towards the docks, with his Pokémon trotting behind him. Lilycove City's shipyard was a huge concrete square with cranes lowering and raising cargo to and from the ships. There were fifty quays, seven of them were used mainly for the big freighters to load and unload their cargo, and the rest were for smaller ships like yachts and trans-regional ferries. Unfortunately for Danny, the booking office was at the other side of the shipyard, so he had to go over the whole extension of the place to get there. Tropius seemed unaffected by the long run, and she stared quizzically at Danny, who was panting heavily because of the effort.

"What?" Danny asked playfully. Tropius let out an amused giggle-like sound and gestured with her head for Danny to keep moving.

"Hey, wait a minute you usually don't have to walk at all!" Tropius smiled and laughed, as she dissolved in red light. Danny put the Poké ball back at his belt and walked towards the information booth where a blue-haired girl stood, chewing gum and watching a small battery-run T.V., resting her head on her hands. Danny approached the booth and the girl looked up from the T.V.

"Hi! Welcome to the Lilycove Shipyard. Do you want some information?" She said, cheerfully.

"When does the next boat leaves for Vermilion City?" Danny asked. The girl muttered something like "Wait a minute" and then dived down to the depths of the booth. She resurfaced shortly afterwards and handed Danny a schedule. He thanked her and turned his back to the booth, walking absentmindedly while looking at the pamphlet-like document.

The schedule said that the next boat to Kanto would depart that very day at six o'clock on wharf number twelve. Danny looked at his watch. The numbers marked five forty. He still had some time left. He walked casually towards the place in question, evading people, Pokémon and cargo.

The ship in question was a medium sized ferry. Its bow was facing the open sea, already set up for departure. Most of the passengers had already boarded the ferry, and thus the platform was nearly deserted, the only person was a young man in a navy-blue suit standing near the access ramp. Danny looked at the schedule again, and then back to the ship's side which had the name "S.S. Tidal II" written in golden letters. There was no doubt; this was the ship.

Danny looked around the concrete platform, but it was as deserted as it had been moments ago. Danny sighed and remembered the note Aileen had left him. He opened it and smiled. Aileen had a really good handwriting, with curved strokes and perfectly-identical letters. It reminded him of her eyes, those eyes which charmed him the moment he saw them again for the first time in years, but as he read the words written in the note, the smile slowly faded away.

_Danny__,_

_I know you're concerned about me and my Pokémon, but please don't worry, we'll be alright._

_I've realized I still have too much to learn before heading out to another journey, so I decided to go visit some relatives I have in Floe Island; they're running an unofficial gym there and I want to do some training with them. Please leave me alone._

_Aileen_

Danny read the note once, twice, thrice… but he finally realized that reading it over and over wouldn't change what was written in it. He had lost her.

Danny folded the sheet of paper carefully and put it, almost ritually, into his pant's right pocket. He was sad, but not utterly devastated, and this he couldn't understand. Shouldn't he be crying out his grief? Shouldn't he, in his complete desperation, be right back at the booking office buying a ticket for the next Seagallop ferry? But he wasn't desperate. He took one of his Poké balls out of his belt and opened it.

"Tropius, come out." He almost whispered, surprised of the steadiness of his own voice. The sudden flash of white light startled some bystanders who took a step backwards. Danny put the ball back on his belt. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, as if the time had bent with the sheer force of Danny's racing mind.

The Fruit Pokémon looked confusedly at her trainer, like asking what had happened. Danny simply mounted on her back and said:

"Please, fly to our secret base." His voice was as steady as it had been moments ago. He needed to think, and the best place he could think of to do so was that small tree house in the middle of the forest. The Fruit Pokémon seemed to notice something had not gone quite right, as she turned her head around and looked at Danny quizzically.

"Just do it, Tropius, I'll explain to you there." Tropius flapped her wings powerfully and took off, leaving a rather big wake of dust behind her. Despite of this, nobody seemed to notice.

Danny's secret base was on route 119, south from Fortree City. It was built on top of a really big tree flanked on one side by grass taller than him and on the other by the river. It had taken him almost two months to build it, with the help of his Pokémon of course. He used the place as a spot to hide from the rest of the world and think, be it about strategies for his team or personal issues. The constant rainfall in the route made it even more comfortable for him. He found the sound of drops pelting whatever surface they could somewhat calming, even mesmerizing at some degree.

Tropius landed softly at the base of the tree and Danny dismounted swiftly. He then started climbing the ladder, made out of vines. Tropius took a spring and with a flap of her wings landed on the floor of the base, Danny arrived shortly afterwards, already soaked wet with rainwater. The place had a double wooden door that would open only to Ludicolo's Secret Power, so he took her Poké ball out of his belt to release the Carefree Pokémon, whose touch made the lock give away. Danny entered, followed by his loyal companions.

The interior of the base was spacious, with a round mat in the center matching the colors of the base, green and brown. There was a small wooden desk with a matching chair next to the right wall; a laptop sat closed on the desk. On the back wall were a couple of posters, one of a Seviper and a map of the Hoenn region. Next to the right wall was a small, Poké ball-shaped chair. Since the room had no windows, the only light came from the open door, making it look eerie and dark.

Danny headed for the desk. He opened a drawer and took out three candles, consumed and old, and three battered bronze saucers. He then took out an old and wet matchbox and lit one of the candles, not without some effort, though. The other two were lit afterwards with the fire of the first one and the three were placed around the room; one in the desk, one on the mat and one on the Poké ball-shaped chair. The Door was closed afterwards, immersing the room in a dreamy penumbra, isolated from the rest of the world. Because of this, nobody noticed when the rain started getting stronger.

Danny's two Pokémon watched this ritual closely, standing out of the way until he finally sat down at the wooden chair, his face illuminated by the yellow light of the nearby candle. He closed his eyes while Tropius looked intensely at him and Ludicolo looked nervously around, seemingly not liking the closed atmosphere of the place.

Danny took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. Seeing Ludicolo was nervous he took her Poké ball from his belt and pointed it at her, but she shook her head violently, she then gestured towards the door.

"Would you like to go out?" Danny asked. Ludicolo nodded.

"Fine then, but don't come back too late, ok? We're going to stay here tonight." The Pokémon nodded and hurried towards the door, opening it and leaving, closing the door behind her. Danny then heard the grass being crushed below her weight when she jumped off the tree house, and Danny wondered how she would do to get back up later… But that didn't matter now, the only thing that mattered now was the Pokémon standing there, waiting for him to answer her question.

After a brief silence, Danny took a deep breath and faced his friend. The Fruit Pokémon lay down on her belly so her face was at the same height of Danny's.

"She left, Tropius." Danny finally said, each word hurting more than the last.

Out of all his Pokémon, Tropius was with whom he had the closest bond, even closer than that with Sceptile, who was his first Pokémon. Why? Well, he spent a lot of time flying from town to town, in the meanwhile he used to chat with her, tell her about his family, his friends, his troubles. They soon developed a very stable friendship, which his other Pokémon seemed not to care about.

"She left and she will never come back." Danny said after a small silence. Tropius looked at him with sad eyes.

"And the worst part of it is… that I know it wasn't my fault." Tropius cocked her head and blinked a couple of times.

"I don't know what I should be feeling... And that kind of disturbs me."

If there was no guilt to be felt… why did he felt so wrong with himself? What was the big problem? Tropius crawled a little closer to Danny and rubbed her head on his chest. Danny patted the Pokémon affectionately. She looked up and emitted a faint cry.

"I should simply let it be and stop complaining, right?" The Fruit Pokémon smiled and nodded. A thunder made the small wooden room shake. Night was already starting to fall.

"Hmm… Ludicolo'd better come back soon." Danny muttered standing up. He opened the door of the base and looked outside. The heavy wind and rain made it impossible to see further than about ten feet ahead, besides, the light of day had already faded away within the thickness of the forest and the black storm clouds. Danny felt a shiver run down through his body. This rain was not normal… even if he had not been to that route for about three years; he doubted the weather had changed so much in that time.

"Ludicolo!" Danny shouted into the darkness, his voice was muffled by the wind and the rain. Danny shouted the Pokémon's name again a couple of times, but he only got an occasional thunderclap as answer. The riverbed was not a good place to be with such a storm raging around.

The wind seemed to come from everywhere, twisting and threatening to make Danny lose his balance since it changed every ten seconds or so. The raindrops were huge and cold as ice, and the clouds above seemed to glare every time a flash of lightning shone in the distance.

"Tropius! Try using Sunny Day!" Danny shouted to let himself be heard over the raging storm. Inside the base, he could see Tropius glow lightly with an orange hue. Danny felt the rain suddenly stop falling on top of him, but he still could see it falling around the secret base, the wind was as strong as it had been moments ago, and the lightning still flashed as far as the eye could see. He looked up and was surprised to see a circular hole in the clouds just above the secret base through which some moonlight filtered.

"Well, that surely looks bizarre…" Danny muttered, looking at Tropius who was now standing next to him admiring the hole in the sky. Under normal conditions, Tropius's Sunny Day would clear the whole route for about fifteen minutes.

"Stay here, Tropius. I'll follow that path and see if I can find Ludicolo." Danny said, starting to climb down the steps of the ladder. "If you see I'm taking too much, fly to Fortree City and get some help." The Fruit Pokémon nodded hesitantly and looked longingly at her trainer.

"Don't worry; I still have Sceptile, Altaria, Golem and Medicham with me." Danny said, noting the look on Tropius's eyes. He then took a spring from the ladder and landed heavily on the floor, having miscalculated the height at which he was. He heard Tropius's alarmed cry above him.

"I'm alright!" He shouted, and quickly stood up. He couldn't see a thing, and as he tried to see where the path was, a sudden darkness and a spray of cold rainwater made him flinch. He looked up and managed to see how the hole created in the clouds by the Sunny Day closed abruptly.

_What are you doing?! You'll die out there! Luidcolo is strong; she can take care of herself. _

_Yes, but the river is grown, and she can't have gone very far anyway. I've been in this route at night many times; there's nothing dangerous out there, aside from the river. Besides, I've got a flashlight._

Danny reached for his backpack, which he very rarely left aside, and took a small battery flashlight. The only thing was to hope for it to be waterproof. He tested the switch and was relieved to see the beam of light cut into the darkness, illuminating the path of squashed grass right in front of him.

Danny took a hesitant step into the foliage. The raindrops hurt his skin as if they were tiny needles; he could hardly keep his eyes open. The sudden flash of a lightning, followed instantly by the thunder startled him. What was happening to him? He had never feared the forest… But something was different this night…. He reached instinctively for his belt, finding some comfort in the feel of the metallic spheres attached to it. He continued walking into the tall grass, while his loyal friend watched him from the platform of the secret base, until the beam of the flashlight was swallowed by the darkness.

* * *

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	4. Three

**Lightning's Shadow**

**III**

**The Fleeing Storm**

Not too far from Danny's secret base, right next to Fortree City was the Weather Institute, which was now a boiling pot of people running from here to there, checking data on computers and books, taking occasional glances out from the windows, and drinking gallons of espresso. On the lower level, a small Pokémon that resembled a tiny raincloud with a drop of water on top floated nervously around, eyeing the worried scientists occasionally. He looked through a window, admiring the power of the storm… hearing its call…

"Castform?" the Pokémon turned away from the window and was met by a light-pink haired woman wearing a lab coat and round spectacles.

"That's a big storm right?" The woman asked. Castform turned away from her to look back at the rain. The call was getting stronger with each second that passed. The woman shook her head and returned to her research.

Castform was doing his best to ignore that voice… that voice that told him to go out… to join it and dance in the rain… But it was just too much… the pull was too strong… He had to get out of that place! He had to join that voice in the rain!

Castform floated away from the window and faced it with determination. With a shriek, he lunged forwards, only to be bounced back by the thick glass of the window. He shook his head. That voice… He rammed his body into the window again and was bounced back yet another time, the window was left unscratched.

Frustrated, Castform shot a blast of water at the window, which shook with the force of the impact but didn't break. He looked around for another exit but the front door was closed and the only thing left were those seemingly-unbreakable glasses.

With a cry, Castform rammed the window again, desperately. He had to get out; even if it was the last thing he did in his life. He closed his eyes and focused in the storm outside, he could use its power to get out. He then became surrounded by a yellow aura and sparks started flying around him. A sudden flash of yellow light illuminated its tiny body when a lightning bolt hit the window, making it vibrate. A small crack appeared in the center and spread through the whole glass, resembling a spider web. Castform opened his eyes again and smiled triumphantly at the cracked glass. He then rammed his body again at the window, which gave away without further resistance.

The feel of the cold raindrops on his skin was almost heavenly. Castform could hear the desperate cries of the humans back at the institute, screaming his name, commanding him to go back… but he ignored them. He was free! Free to join that voice that called him! He floated away from the institute; letting himself to be carried away by the winds… they would take him with the voice…they would free him…

*****

"Ludicolo!!"

The path through the tall grass had lead Danny to a clearing in the middle of the route 119. The river was at his back, along with his secret base which was really close to the riverbank. Luckily, it had never been affected by the flow, but by now Danny was starting to fear that the river could grow enough to flood the spot where his base stood. But his main concern now was that without the path he didn't know the direction Ludicolo had taken.

Danny looked around, illuminating his surroundings with the flashlight, but he could barely see a few feet ahead of him, even with the light of the lamp. The rain was getting so thick that Danny could easily have been underwater and there would be no difference, he even had some troubles to breath and had to spit water frequently; his feet were sunk up to his ankle in a blobby mud that made it difficult for him to walk.

_I knew this was a bad idea… Now what!?_

Danny looked around once more, he knew this route very well, even when he had not been there for a long time. He knew that a few steps to his right he would find a small stone hill. If he climbed it, and continued walking north, he would eventually reach the Weather Institute, where he would surely find some help. Fortree City wasn't an option since it was even farther than the institute, and Danny highly doubted that his flashlight would resist that long.

Pointing the light to his right, he walked with difficulty towards the institute. The mud now covered halfway up to his knee. He hoped Tropius was alright. She could fly on rain without much trouble, after all, this very route was where Danny had caught her, but this rain was a lot stronger than normal…and if she fell to the river…he doubted she could swim.

Danny hurried his pace and reached the ridge shortly afterwards. To his right, the raging river could be heard above the thunderous rain. He pointed his light towards it and nearly dropped it. The waters licked the edge of the stone on which he was standing, when normally the river would be at least fifty feet below it, and there would be a mass of tall trees between where he stood and the riverbed.

Without a second thought Danny started running towards the Weather Institute, the rock was slippery, but he managed not to fall ad reach the top of the ridge where the route continued. The path wasn't flooded here yet, making the walking less arduous, the lights of the institute could be seen breaking into the night in the distance. Danny reached the building shortly afterwards. He knocked on the door vigorously.

The doors opened after a brief moment, and a man in a laboratory coat appeared under the threshold. Danny caught a glimpse of the inside of the building and the chaos that reigned within it. There were people running from here to there, shouting orders, the floor was wet and somebody had spilled coffee on the floor, there was also a mess of papers scattered all around the lab.

"Oh my god! Quick, get in." The man said, pushing Danny with his hand. He did so and the man closed the door behind him. They were standing in a small horizontal alley that led on both sides to a window, the right one was shattered, hence the water on the floor. In front of them was a gap in the wall that led to where the scientists at the institute were busy, checking data on notebooks and computers and writing franticly in sheets of paper.

"What were you doing out there? Come with me, I'll get you some hot coffee… and a towel." The man walked away and Danny followed him after a second of doubt. He had to run to catch up with the man's fast pace.

They headed for the second floor, and Danny almost slipped and fell twice because of the slippery floor. The second story of the building was experiencing a similar situation to the first, but there were less people here and most of them were sitting at desks, immersed in their work. Danny was starting to feel cold as his clothes and skin started to dry. The man told him to sit on a small office chair next to a desk flooded with research papers, and then disappeared in a side room.

_What are you doing? You are supposed to be getting some help, not __hot coffee!_

The man came back with a smoking cup of coffee and a white coat.

"Here, drink this while it's still hot." He said as he handed Danny the coffee. "I'm Connor, by the way."

"Thank you. My name is Daniel… and I'm in kind of a trouble right now." Danny said. Connor gave him the coat too.

"There are no towels here, but this should do. What kind of trouble?"

"Well, one of my Pokémon got lost in the forest… two of them actually." Danny said after taking a sip of coffee; he winced when the boiling liquid touched his lips and the bitter flavor of the infusion made its way through his tongue. He left the mug aside without hesitation.

"What Pokémon are they?" Connor asked, interested.

"A Ludicolo and a Tropius." Danny said.

"Hmm… Did they left voluntarily?"

"What? Oh, well… Ludicolo did, but Tropius was… kind of my fault."

"Ludicolo… hmm it's a water-type right?" The scientist muttered, almost to himself.

"Huh?" Danny didn't manage to understand what he said. Connor walked to the other side of the desk and took a walkie-talkie from somewhere beneath the mess of papers. He held it to his mouth for a moment without saying anything and then, seemingly having thought better, left it back at the desk.

"I'd better not draw any conclusions yet." He said.

"What do you mean? Do you know what's happening?" Danny asked. These guys were meteorologists; they should have at least a hint of the reason of the storm. Connor hesitated for a second before answering.

"No. But I believe it has something to do with the Pokémon of the route." Danny stared at him.

"Oh well… about my Pokémon…"

The massive windows of the building boomed when a lightning fell nearby. The lights of the institute flickered and darkness reigned for a brief moment. The storm had not gave in a single bit, and Danny wondered what would happen if the river grew enough to reach the institute, but that was not his main concern now.

Connor stood facing the windows, turning his back to Danny. The occasional lightning revealed brief glimpses of what was happening outside the institute, although most of it was the thick coat of raindrops that fell from the sky. The scientist sighed, and faced Danny again.

"There's nothing we can do now, except wait and hope for the best." He said, with a grave expression. Danny didn't expect more.

"Connor!" Somebody called from the other side of the room; another man was waving his hand, motioning Connor to go over there. Some people had left their work stations and were heading downstairs.

"Danny, stay here, I'll be right back." Connor said. He ran towards where his workmate stood and they started talking. The other man looked nervous and concerned as he explained something to Connor. When he was finished, the latter scratched the back of his head, seemingly concerned too. Danny started tapping his fingers on the desk absentmindedly. He stood up and looked through the nearest window, but he could only see the rain. He brought himself nearer to the crystal, enough to be able to see the furious waters below.

At first, he saw nothing, but a shiver was sent through his spine when a flash of lightning illuminated the beast. He overheard the desperate argument that was taking place between the people working at the institute, but he was too scared to understand what they were saying… At this rate the river would wash away the building mercilessly, and the worst part was that they were helpless… they could only stand there as the waters swept them and carried them away into a trip without return.

*****

She had to reach Fortree City… she had to get some help... But that wind… that cruel wind that toyed around with her… it was so heartless… so unnatural… Mother Nature would never do such thing … would she?

Her wings were tired, she could barely stay airborne. She just let the wind carry her around, miraculously avoiding trees and the beastly river that rampaged below her. Why had her master abandoned her to such fate? No, not her master: her friend. Had he thought it was safer? Well… he had been wrong.

*****

"Okay people, don't panic. This institute is built to resist the current, we are safe in here."

The institute's power plant had finally given in to the storm, and the building was taken over by the darkness. The waters had also reached the easternmost wall, shaking the institute down to its foundation. The shattered window was sealed with duct tape and wood planks… There were about fifty people in the building; some were praying, some were fidgeting, some were staring blankly, but they all remained hopeful. After all… hope died last.

Everybody had moved to the second floor, since the first had already started to flood, and the place was really cramped. The silence that reigned was almost unnatural. One would expect to hear cries of desperation, or nervous whispers, but the only sound that could be heard was that of the storm and the river… until another sound came into play.

At first, it was just some faint click, but after a few minutes it turned into a constant crackling noise… frighteningly similar to that of cracking glass. But it didn't last long though, since it soon transformed into a booming crash: the booming crash of two five meter long, one inch thick windows being torn to pieces by the river. The terrified shrieks of the people in the second floor were soon added to the mix.

"Hey! Stay calm and follow me!" Someone shouted. The crowd started moving towards a door in the back of the room, which led to an iron staircase leading to the roof. Meanwhile, the muddy water of the river had already flooded the first floor completely.

Strangely, the moment the last person stepped onto the roof, the thick curtain of rainwater that fell upon the crowd seemed to lighten slightly. As everybody started to lie down in order to avoid being hit by the lightning, the weather gave a sharp turn: the rain stopped abruptly, as if it had been a shower whose tap had been closed; the sky cleared, displaying a dark-blue mantle sprinkled with stars, maybe clearer than it could actually be. But what drew everybody's attention was the storm cloud, which was moving eastward, away from the institute, at an unbelievably fast pace. The trashing of the river decreased too, as the source of its overflowing went away. Slowly the calm was returning to the forest after that bizarre lightning storm which now moved away from the terrified, yet bewildered humans at the top of the concrete building, wondering what on Earth had just happened. How come a hurricane-like storm appeared out of nowhere just to retreat, defying all laws of physics, towards the sea? The ones who witnessed this phenomenon would later swear that the storm seemed to be running away, fleeing, from something.

Well… they were not mistaken in the least.

*****

That was a beautiful night; perfect for sailing: the skies were clear and starry, the sea was calm, and the wind blew gently stern-to-bow. The Seagallop Hi-Speed 4 glided smoothly on the water, leaving a pure-white wake on its tail, oblivious to the huge cumulonimbus cloud that seemed to be chasing it, also heading eastward, but at a faster pace than the turbine-propelled vessel.

On the deck, the captain was taking a last glance towards the various instruments on the panel, grinning satisfactorily before letting the auto-pilot take over the control of the vessel; at this pace they should be arriving at One Island in about two hours. He then let go of the wheel and sat on his chair, letting his navy hat fall on top of his eyes, shielding them from the intense moonlight that flooded the cabin, but also from the small red light that was emitted by a lone light bulb near the atmospheric-pressure meter, demanding his attention.

A sudden jolt that nearly knocked him off of his seat managed to get him to look towards the instrument panel, where the measurers were going nuts. The captain stood up quickly, and looked out from the windshield, which was already being bombarded by thick raindrops. A quick glance to the panel was enough for the panic to start taking over his body. The ship was rocked violently by the waves again, and the windshield was splashed by the wave of water, blurring the sea outside. The captain deactivated the auto-pilot and grabbed the wheel with both hands; with a swift movement he also activated the windshield-wipers to clear his vision. What he saw almost made him faint: the sky that had been crystal-clear just moments ago was now pitch black and flashing with lightning, and the once calm sea was now starting to rage, spurred by the storm. He could feel the sweat running down his temples, but he seized the wheel even tighter and glanced towards the old and discolored picture that adorned the instrument panel, the girl in the photo smiled at him, and he could hear her voice telling him: This is not the moment to chicken out.

*****

Bellow deck, the people sleeping in their cabins started to wake up with the sudden jolts and jumps of the previously-peaceful vessel. Movement could be heard in the shape of hurried footsteps scurrying along the tight corridors of the ferry, fearful and panicky.

A roar echoed through the velvet-carpeted deck, followed by a shock that jolted the ship noticeably. The people on the ferry's corridors hurried towards the upper deck, stumbling with the rocking of the ship, calling for the spirits to save them, to have mercy.

Outside the storm had already caught up completely with the boat in spite of the captain's desperate attempts to outrun it. The ship soon found itself lost in a mayhem of raging waves and winds, only saved from sinking by its extreme buoyancy and its powerful engine. But it was just a matter of time for the storm to drive the helpless ferry into a reef, and then it would be the end.

The turbines were at their maximum power, but it wasn't enough. The lectures of the various instruments on the panel indicated that the storm outside was incredibly powerful: the barometer marked a minimum, the wind-speed meter was crazy, the GPS was giving odd lectures indicating they were at the Whirl Islands, the compass was spinning wildly, the radar was malfunctioning, and yet, when observed through the windshield all of this fell short miserably. The ship was being flung and flipped by thirty-feet-tall waves, submerging momentarily before resurfacing with a crack or two on its small, round windows, and one could tell, from the incessant beeping and flashing of the instruments, that the water had found its way into the ship's internal workings. The engine was starting to lose power too. And yet the most impressive aspect of the storm was being overlooked by the desperate man struggling with an unmovable rudder that turned on its own: The compass was not disoriented; the ship was going in circles, tighter each second that passed. It was being drawn into a massive maelstrom topped by a towering tornado: the eye of the storm.

*****

"Has it reached the coast already?"

"Aye, captain. It crossed the northernmost region of Hoenn and located itself over the sea, east from Lilicove, and north from Mossdeep. It hasn't moved in a while."

"Fine, set course then."

"Right away."

There was a muffled roar as the small, sky-blue vessel's engine came to life. It had been stationary for hours, just floating there, in the middle of the sea, waiting for its quarry to reach the sea so it could continue the chase.

The rather bulky ship started moving at a moderate pace, heading northeastwards. Inside, the crew was mostly sitting in the radar room interpreting lectures and writing down coordinates. They all seemed to wear the same uniform; a black and white striped shirt, blue pants with a chain of white circles running on the left leg, black gloves and a blue bandana with a white stylized "A" in the shape of a Jolly Roger around their foreheads. The man who appeared to be the captain of the ship was a tall and hefty man in his mid-thirties. He sported a short black beard and a tiny moustache. His attire didn't quite resemble that of his men, as he wore a black jacket without any shirt below it, black trousers and shoes, and a bandana similar to those of his crew. He was supervising his workingmen from a raised platform just above the radar room. There were two doors on the platform, one to his left leading to the upper deck, and one behind him leading to the bridge cabin.

The captain stood there for a few seconds, staring blankly at nothing in particular, before reaching out for the door at his left and exiting the radar room. He welcomed the fresh marine breeze that met him on the ship's deck. Resting his arms on the aluminum banister he gazed over to the horizon where a terrible storm cloud loomed in the distance… and then a small spark of doubt was ignited in his heart… This could be even more dangerous than the Kyogre affair three years ago.

"Are you completely sure about this, captain?" The voice returned him to reality and he turned his head to see who had asked the question. A slender woman made her way to a spot next to him in the banister; she leaned her back against it and looked at him intensely. She was tall, but not as tall as him. Her hair was fire-red and her eyes bore such intensity that they seemed able to burn a hole into whatever they stared at. She wore a short blue vest and a black top underneath, and sported pants similar to those of the rest of the crew, the main difference being that hers had an orange chain instead of a white one and that it was on the right leg; the trademark bandana was also present.

"Yes. This one can make our dreams come true at last." The captain answered, confident. His companion didn't look satisfied by the answer. She stepped in front of him and made him turn to face her.

"This could be dangerous, Archie. Are you sure fulfilling your dream is worth the risk?" She said intensely. Archie didn't lose his confidence.

"This is no longer just about my dreams, Shelly." He said. "This can be the chance to prove that I'm better than _them_." The last word came loaded with spite.

The captain turned away from his subordinate, returning to gaze thoughtfully at the horizon. The stormy cloud didn't seem to get any closer. It was as though as if the rocking of the ship was just an illusion and they weren't moving at all.

"Better than whom, Archie? Than Maxie and his people?" Shelly kept inquiring. She obviously had her doubts that the plan was going to run smoothly.

Archie didn't answer. Not because he couldn't, but because he didn't want to. There was no need to explain his reasons to every single person in his crew; after all, the only thing that mattered to them was money. Noticing this, Shelly turned away and entered the radar room, frustrated. She had thought war with Team Magma had been dumped three years ago, but it seemed that the Leader still held some grudge against them.

"It doesn't matter as long as we keep true to our goals" She muttered for herself as she entered the bridge, where her partner was navigating the ship towards the black mass of clouds that loomed ahead.

"I don't like this, Shelly. That thing over there'd better be of some use." Her partner said, almost in a whisper.

"Me neither, but the captain looks confident, and that _thing _looks powerful enough to me." The woman said, leaning against the closed door.

"Yeah, that's what has me worried. And besides, it seems that we're not approaching it at all. Look." The officer said, pointing to the horizon. Shelly did so.

At first she didn't notice anything strange. There was the cloud, glaring menacingly at them in the distance… always the same size. Shelly let out a surprised gasp. She looked down at the control panel; the engine was at its maximum power, and she could see the ship's bow cutting through the water effortlessly. But why didn't the cloud look any bigger?

"I think… It's the cloud! It's shrinking!" Both commanders looked at the cloud closely. It was true; the cloud was getting smaller each time.

"Shit! Go warn the captain!" But Shelly was already darting towards the door and then outside, to the upper deck, where Archie was still in the same spot he had been when she left.

"Captain! The cloud it's…" She started saying, but the captain cut her in mid-sentence.

"I know. Tell Matt to put this bathtub at full thrust." The captain ordered, already starting to head for the staircase leading to the lower deck.

"But captain, it's at its maximum already!" The commander said, catching up with him.

"Throw in the alternate pull-force then; we need to get there before it disappears."

"Aye, captain." Shelly said. She then ran to the very tip of the ship's bow, where a couple of harnesses along with ropes rested on the floor. She took two Poké balls from her pocket and flung them towards the sea, ahead of the ship.

"Go, Sharpedo!" Out of the balls emerged the two dark blue, bullet-shaped sharks. The Pokémon started swimming as soon as they touched the water, keeping with the ship's pace without any apparent effort. Shelly tossed the harnesses out of board and the sharks caught them masterfully between their jaws.

"You know what to do. Pull us towards that huge cloud over there!" Shelly ordered her Pokémon, which did as told, pulling the ship with amazing force, noticeably faster than the engine alone. Now they only had to wait…

…but no. The wait was unnecessary: as everybody present stared in awe, the cloud started spinning driving itself inwards; to its own core. This was so fast that after a few seconds the cloud had disappeared, leaving behind just a thin column of spinning air that simply "dove" into the maelstrom below it causing a tidal wave that rocked the vessel a little bit.

The maelstrom started reducing in size until it disappeared completely, not without exploding dramatically in the last moment, sending a shower of icy cold water, wood and metal splinters flying several feet into the air just moments before the research vessel reached the spot…

Wood and metal splinters? Another vessel had been caught in the storm.

Shelly froze in her spot. What should she do? Tell Archie first and then search for survivors, or search for survivors and then notify the captain? She hesitated for a moment before telling the Sharpedos to stop pulling, which they had continued doing even after the engine stopped, and sprinting towards the radar room.

She burst into the overlooking platform and informed the people in the radar room below, among whom was Archie, about the ship wreck.

"Search for survivors and bring them aboard, if any." The captain said after a moment's hesitation. Shelly nodded bluntly and rushed outside, leaving behind a wake of doubt.

*****

"Captain Seymour, do you copy?"

"_Hisssssssssss…"_

"Captain Seymour, we've lost your signal, do you copy?"

"_Hisssssssssss…"_

The static echoed in the night air, floating around the remains of the Lilicove Harbor's control tower, like a ghastly moan. The nameless person in the communications room tried to communicate with Philip Seymour, captain of the Seagallop Hi-Speed 4, once again, but was met by that eerie frizzle. It was miraculous that the radio tower wasn't lost in the storm just like the couple of cranes that littered the platforms, or the ferry that was carried away by the waters and now loomed near the shore like an ominous monument.

"Captain Seymour, do you copy?"

"_Hisssssssssss…"_

The radio hissed once again, reluctant to reveal anything relevant to the person listening to it. Of course, it's hard for a radio to pick a signal at the bottom of the sea.

* * *

**So... well... I know it took a lot, but here it is. Please review. Leave your oppinions, questions, criticism... they are all realy important for me. **


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